411’s Box Office Report: War For the Planet of the Apes Takes #1, Spider-Man: Homecoming Slips

Apes ruled the box office this weekend, if not quite as strongly as some expected. War For the Planet of the Apes grossed $56.5 million to claim the #1 spot this weekend. That number ranks in the middle of the three films in the rebooted trilogy, just ahead of Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ $54.8 million opening in 2011 but below the $72.6 million start of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes three years ago. The opening is a solid one, those a touch below the $60 million that most were projecting it to start at by the end of last week.

The Apes franchise has been a strong performer for Fox since the property was rebooted with Rise, standing as an argument in favor of what can happen when a franchise gets a well-received reboot. The studio themselves saw War opening in the $55 million range so this is in line for their hopes. Awareness for the film was strong, with a hefty marketing campaign beginning the promotion ten months ago. The opening marks an example of audiences coming out less in droves for non-superhero films in their later franchise numbers this summer, also exhibited in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Transformers: The Last Night and Alien: Covenant.

The plus side for War is that unlike those films, this one is a critical darling. Sitting at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is one of the best-reviewed films of the summer and that should help it have a longer play than any of other franchise films. War also had an A- CinemaScore that bolsters that likelihood. Rise had a 3.23 multiple and Dawn had a 2.87; it is likely that War will hit around a 3.0 which would put it at around $170 million. Overseas grosses have always been strong for this series and with a $46 million start it’s not in bad shape there; the total worldwide gross is $102.5 million. With a $150 million budget, it should end up being okay.

War For the Planet of the Apes took a hefty bite out of Spider-Man: Homecoming which fell 61% to #2 with $45.2 million. That is a higher drop than most of Marvel’s recent films; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 fell 56%, while Doctor Strange fell 50%. The drop is comparable to the slips of Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. This suggests that Homecoming while be on the somewhat lower end of MCU films in terms of box office legs. It’s still going to be in fine shape, sitting at $208.3 million domestically and $469.4 million worldwide, with a likely final domestic gross of $290 million and plenty of money overseas. With a $175 million production budget, it will be in fine shape for Sony and Marvel.

Despicable Me 3 brought in $18.9 million in ts third weekend, off 44%. That’s about on par with Despicable Me 2’s third weekend drop-off. The film has $188 million domestically and $619.4 million worldwide. A final domestic gross of $220 million is likely and it will be a hit on a $90 million budget.

Baby Driver continues to hold on well, down 33% to $8.8 million in its third weekend. The action crime drama is now sitting at $73.2 million domestically and $96.3 million worldwide on a moderate $34 million budget. Domestically it should make it over $90 million, with $100 million not impossible. It’s an impressive performance for the film and will bring in a solid profit for Sony/Tristar.

Zoe Kazan and Kumail Nanjiani’s comedy The Big Sick went wide this week and brought in another $7.6 million, up 113% from its limited release number last week. The film is doing good thus far, sitting at $16 million domestically and $16.1 million worldwide. The budget isn’t known but it should be a minor profit for the studio with a likely $30 million-plus final gross.

Wonder Woman continued to hang in strong, down just 30% to $6.9 million. The DC Extended Universe film now stands at $380.1 million domestically and $764.9 million worldwide, putting it on pace to pass Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 as the highest-grossing film of the summer. It will make it to $390 million easily and could continue on to $400, conceivably On a $149 million budget, Warner Bros. is very happy here.

Broad Green Pictures’ Wish Upon was more or less DOA, opening with nary a peep at $5.6 million. The PG-13 horror film opened below the high single digits that the studio was hoping for, let down by a poor marketing campaign that did nothing to distinguish it and poor reviews at just 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. Horror is a remarkably critic-proof genre, but a high rating can save a horror film if it results in good legs. With that rating and a C CinemaScore, that’s not likely. A $15 million domestic gross is its ceiling. With a $12 million budget, it will likely lose a bit of money.

Cars 3 was down 41% to $3.2 in its fifth weekend. The Pixar Animation film is now up to $140 million domestically and is revving up overseas, now hitting $222.9 million worldwide. The likely domestic finish is around $155 million. Even with as $175 million budget, this will make a minor profit.

Transformers: The Last Knight is almost out of the top ten in its fourth week, which is crazy. The fifth film in the franchise was down 56% to $2.8 million. The film has totaled $124.9 million domestic, with a likely final number in the states of $$135 million. Even with overseas flocking, the movie now sits at $517.3 million which is lowest of the main franchise with ease. It may have issues breaking even considering a $217 million budget and expensive marketing campaign.

The House is also nearly gone, down 62% to $1.8 million. The Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler comedy is now at $23.1 million after three weeks and won’t make it much higher than $30 million. It’s up to $28.5 million total worldwide. With a $40 million budget, its profit chances are gone.

Next week will see Dunkirk likely claim the crown, as Christopher Nolan’s World War II drama targets a $55 million-plus debut. Also opening are Girls Trip and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, which is hoping for around $18 million to $20 million.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Numbers)
1. War for the Planet of the Apes – $56.5 million ($56.5 million total)
2. Spider-Man: Homecoming – $45.2 million ($208.3 million total)
3. Despicable Me 3 – $18.9 million ($188 million total)
4. Baby Driver – $8.8 million ($73.2 million total)
5. The Big Sick – $7.6 million ($16 million total)
6. Wonder Woman – $6.9 million ($380.7 million total)
7. Wish Upon – $5.6 million ($5.6 million total)
8. Cars 3 – $3.2 million ($140 million total)
7. Transformers: The Last Knight – $2.8 million ($124.9 million total)
9. The House – $1.8 million ($23.1 million total)